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I 6 Sheets-Sheet I A. NOBLE &7 G. H. MURRAY. APPARATUS FOR WORKINGDISAPPEARING GUNS.

No. 484,374. Patented Opt. 11, 1892. v

- (No Model.)

6 Sheets-Sheet 2. A. NOBLE & G. H: MURRAY.

APPARATUS FOR WORKING DISAPPEARING GUNS.

(No Model.)

No. 484,374. Patented Oct. 11, 1892.

(No Model.)

' 6 Sheets-Sheet 3. A. NOBLE & O. H. MURRAY.

APPARATUS FOR WORKING DISAPPEARING GUNS.

No. 484,374. Patented Oct. 11,1892;

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(No Model.) 6 Sheets--Sheet 4. A. NOBLE & 0. H. MURRAY. APPARATUS FORWORKING DISAPPEARING GUNS.

No. 484,374. Patented Oct. 11, 1892.

(N4 Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheet, 5.

A. NOBLE 8B0. H. MURRAY APPARATUS FOR WORKING DISAPPEARING GUNS. No.484,374.

Patented Oct. 11, 1892.

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ANDREW NOBLE AND (JIIARL IS ll. MURRAY, OF NE\VCASTLE-UPON-TYNE,

ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS TO THE SIR \V. G. ARMSTRONG, MITCHELL & COM- PANY,LIMITED, OF SAME PLACE.

. p APPARATUS FOR WORKING DISAPPEARING GUNS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 484,374, dated October11, 1892.

Application filed November 27,1891. Serial No. 413,313. -(No model.)

To'aZZ whom it may concern:

Be itknownthatwe,ANDREWNOBL-E, a Companion of the Bath, late captain inthe Royal Artillery, and manufacturing engineer, and

CHARLES HENRY )IL'RRAY, engineer, subjects of the Queen of GreatBritain, both residing at the Elswick \Vorks, Newcastle-upon lyne,England,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatusfor \Vorking 1o Disappearing Guns, of which the following is aspecification.

In ordinary disappearing-gun carriages the weight of the gun is balancedby the tension of compressed air made to act through the is medium of aliquid, or if steel springs are used they also not not directly, butthrough the medium of a liquid. Both these methods lead to complicationsand necessitate great care in the use of the carriage to preventleakageof the liquid or of the air.

According to our invention we apply steel springs in such a way and ofsuch suilicient power as to act directly on the gun-carriage and balancethe weight of the gun at any position between the extremes of right upor right down. These springs we arrange so that they can be slacked oilor tightened up in order to cause the gun to come down without beingfired or to rise to the firing position when it is desired to fire thegun. llavingby this means balanced the gun, so that it is in the samecondition as if supported in one scale-pan of a pair of scales andcapable of being made to rise or fall by the addition or subtraction toor from the counterpoisein the other scale, which addition orsubtraction only amounts to what is necessary to overcome the frictionof the pivots on which the system turns, we arrange to absorb the recoil4 energy by a cylinder and piston entirely separated and not connectedwith or interfering with the gear by which the gun is raised or lowered.

To put an end to the trouble caused by leakage, we constructtherecoil-cylinder of one casting made without any bottom plug or joint ofany sort. At the top we form a reservoir, so that more liquid than isrequired forsafety may be used to allow for loss by up ordown.

evaporation or other causes and to give space for the liquid displacedby the piston-rod when it enters the cylinder as the gun comes down. Thecylinder we fit with a piston and rod, the piston sliding easily in thecylinder and being made with ports or openings through which the liquidmust pass when the piston is driven to the bottom of the cylinder on therecoil of the gun. The ports in the piston are gradually closed in theusual manner by tapered keys fixed to the inside of the cylinder, sothat the resistance to the recoil is equalized throughout the stroke andthe length of recoil is about the same for all charges. The piston-rodpasses through an opening in the cylinder, closely fitting it; but nopacking is needed, as no pressure exists at any time at thetop side ofor above the piston. The steel springs by which the weight of the gun isbalanced are conveniently placed horizontally in two boxes, one oneither side of the recoil-cylinder. To the rear the springs press uponvertical plates pivoted at their centers to long connecting-rods, theother ends of these connecting-rods being attached to lever-arms formedon the main levers or rocking carriage by which the gun is carried W iththe gun down these springs are in the state of greatest compression. The

gun in rising pursues a circular path and the force required to balanceit is regularly redueed from bottontto top. The springs; also,

as they are relaxed are naturally also reduced. in power, and we arrangethat the springs shall be of such a size and length that thesereductions correspond with one another,

so that as the load requiring balancing is diminished the spring-powertobalance shall be diminished by a corresponding amount.

At the front end of the springs we place another vertical plate whichcan be moved backward or forward a certain amount in a horizontaldirection by a powerful screw andtrain of wheel-gear worked by hand. Bythis means we compress the springs a little more to cause the gun torise or slack them off a little to 5 cause the gun to descend when it isdesired to bring the gun down without firing it.

()n the shield which closes the mouth of the gun-pit we carry a set ofsights instead of fitting them to the gun, where they are usually fittedin the case of disappearing carriages and where they are awkward toreach, owing to the gun being so high, and where it is necessary toreach them by folding ladders and platforms, owing to the gun having torecoil and descend. The sights on the shield we work automatically fromthe elevating- :io gear by a. rack,toothed wheels, and the necessaryrods, so that the rear sight is driven to move degree for degree withthe movement of the gun. \Ve also extend thetraining-gear, so as toprovide a hand-wheel within reach of t5 the man sightingthe gun, and bythese means he is able to keep his eye on the object of aim up to themoment of firing without having to step aside to clear the gun. Totherear or tangent sight we fit not only an ordinary 2o sight and atelescope, but also a pair of mirrors so attached that they move withand are one with the tangent-sight. This enables the man sighting thegun to bringhishead under the protection of the parapet and to see inthe lower mirror the reflection of'the front and rear sights and theobject of aim. Inasmuch as it is the actual sights which are seenreflected, no errors in the setting of the mirrors will introduce errorsinto the aim.

With suitable modifications we construct siege-carriages on the systemexplained above, the invention being, on account of its simplicity,particularly suitable for that purpose, as the readiness with which thecarriage can be prepared for action is of especial importance in siegeoperations.

In order that our invention may be fully understood and readily carriedinto effect, we -will proceed to describe the drawings here- 0 untoannexed.

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a disappearing-gunmounting in accordance with our invention. Fig. 2 is a front elevation,and Fig. 3 is a plan of the same 5 with parts removed. Figs. 4, 5, 6,and 7 are elevations. Fig. 4 shows more especially the recoil-cylinder.Fig. 5 shows more especially the elevating-gear, and Fig. 6 shows moreespecially the sighting-gear. Fig. 7 shows more especially the manualgear for varying the compression of the balancing-springs to raise andto lower the gun. Fig.8 shows the modification of the mounting adaptingit for siege purposes; and Fig. 9 is a'view, on an enlarged scale, ofthe training-gear.

Referring more especially to Figs. 1 and 6, a, Fig. 1, is a ring-railfirmly bolted down to a concrete foundation. his a ring with liverollers running upon the rail a and support- 150 ing a platform orrotating structure 0, which is controlled, also, by clips 0 upon itembracing a flange 0. upon the ring-rail. The upper part of thestructure 0 forms a roof 0 which incloses the shelter-pit foreontainingthe gun 165 and mechanism. There is an openingc, Fig. 3, inthis roof, through which the gun rises to fire. (1 d are a pair oflevers fixed to an axis (1', the bearings for which are upon thestructure 0. The gun e is carried by its trunnions in bearingsat theupper ends of the levers d,

and the lower ends of these levers are connected by rods ff, Figs. 1 and7, with plates, Figs. 1 and 7, upon which springs g g abut. g, Fig. 1,is a telescopic core around which the springs g arearranged. The breechof the gun is connected by links it h with curved racks 'i, Fig. 5,which are movable along guides j, fixed to the structure 0. The movementof the levers (land links 72. around their pivots allows the gun to riseto the firing position and descend to the loading position, and thecompression of the springs g is such as approximately to counterpoisethe weight of the gun in every position. To raise and lower the gun, thecompression of one set of the springs y is increased or diminished byturning a hand-wheel 70, Figs. 1 and 7,. which by gear-wheels L k turnsthe axis 79, on which is a pinion 7c. The pinion Fig. 7, gears withteeth k formed on the periphery of a screw-nut 7a which is able to turnin a sup port In, Fig. 1. The nut rotates upon ascrew 15 which cannotrotate and is fixed to the plate k This plate 7.2 is the abutment forthe springs g, and by the means described it can be moved to and froalong the springcase. Thus by turning the wheel 1.; the gun can beraised and lowered at will, and little power is required beyond thatneeded to overcome the friction of the parts. The recoilon firing isresisted by the rod Z. The rod Z is furnished with a piston Z, Figs. 1and 4, and the cross-head at its upper end is jointed to the levers d at(V. The cylinder at can rock on trunnions m. It is provided with areservoir-chamber m to contain a sufficient store of water or liquid,and it is closed at the top by the unpacked ring on. The piston .1 hasnotches in it, and inclines on within the cylinder partially fill thenotches, leaving a water-way suitably contracted in every position ofthe piston to moderate the speed of the gun in recoil. This recoilapparatus, it will he observed, is entirely independent of the springswhich counterpoisc the gun and the mechanism by which the gun is raisedand lowered.

The training of the, gun and structure to lay the gun on the mark isefiected by turning a hand-wheel n, Figs. 2, 3, and O, which, operatingthrough bevelwheels n n and shaft n, turns a pinion n engaged with thering of teeth a Figs. 1 and 9, upon the ringrail a. There are otherhand-wheels 'n' n,

Fig. 9, within reach of the man who lays the gun by which the trainingmotion may also be given. The required angle of elevation or depressionfor the gun when in the firing position is given by turning thehand-wheels 0 and 1), Fig. 5. The wheel 0 is within reach of the man whoaims thegun and is used for making the final adjustment, the greaterpartof the movement being made by the wheel 11. The wheel 0, Fig. 5, bybcveledgcarturns theshaft o, on which isa pinion (P, Fig. I}, engagedwith a wheel o on the axis of a worm n, which is engaged with awornrwheel o On the axis of the worm-wheel If are piuions o", whichengage with the curved racks i i. The axis of the wheel p is connectedby beveled gear o with the axis of the wheel o. On the roof 0 there is asupport upon which the pivots g, Figs. 1 and U, of the sight-bar 11rest, and the other end of the sight-bar is supported by the upright bar1' and parts s and s. The bar 9' slides through guides upon thestructure 0. It has at its lower end a rack 1', which is engaged with atoothed wheel 1' upon the same axis with the pinions 1;"0", Fig. 2. Thegear is so proportioned that the sight-bar q and the axis of thegun makeequal angular movements when the hand-wheels o and p are turned. ()n thesight-bar are the fore sights 1 the ordinary rear sight q, thesightingtelescope (1 the mirror-sight q", and mirror if. q, Fig. 6, isanother mirror on the sightbar at a lower level. The bar 2' has a socketat its upper end, and into this a stem 5 is received. This is graduatedfor range and to adjust the sight is raised and lowered in the socket inthe usual way. Upon the head of the stem s there is a slider s, which isinovable transversely to correct for wind, speed, &c., in the usual way.The slider .s" carries the rear end of the sight-bar. j

In Fig. S,A is the ordinary pivot and platform for a siege-gun. 13 is abed-frame capable of turning about the pivot A and also supported bywheels 13'. for training It drives a pinion in gear with a curved rackA, fixed upon the platform A. I) are the levers which carry the gun, asbefore. At their lower ends they are connected with plates E, on whichcoiled springs press, and these springs counterpoise the weight of thegun, as already explained. In this case, however, the hand-gear forvarying the compression of the springs is dispensed with. F F are linksconnecting the breech of the gun with the curved racks G, which areraised and lowered to vary the elevation of the gun in the firingposition. This is effected by means of the hand-wheel II, which bybeveled gear turns the screw 11, and this is engaged with a worm-wheelon the axis of the pinions II. The recoil is resisted by the piston andred I, working in the cylinder K. L is a jointed platform rising andfalling with the gun.

Having now particularly described and as- C is a hand-wheel O certainedthe nature of our said invention and in what manner the same is to beperformed, we declare that what we claim isl. The combination of a gunwith recoil apparatus operativcly connected therewith to absorb theenergy of recoil, balancing-springs suitably supported a 1d opcrativelyconnected with the gun to act directly upon it to approximatelycounterpoise the gun in all its positions, and hand-gearing operativelyconnected with the springs to act thereon to compress or relax them tothereby raise or lower the gun without firfhg.

2. In a disappearingrgun mounting, the combinationof a lever pivoted ona stationary axis, the gun having trunnions with hearings in the upperend of the lever, balancingsprings, connections between thebalancingsprings and the lever beneath its pivot, and haud-gearingoperatively connected with the springs to act through them upon thelever, the organization being such that without firing the gun can belowered from the elevated firing position to the concealed loadingposition, there retained as long as may be desired, and afterward againraised to the firing p0- sitiou.

3. lnagun-niounting, thecombination,substantially as hereinbefore setforth, of the gun, means for raising and lowering it, a recoil-cylinderhaving a reservoir without packingor joints suitablysupported in themounting, placed upright, so that the liquid cannot be lost by leakage,and a piston working in the cylinder and operatively connected with thegun.

4. The combination, substantially as set forth, of the gun, itssupports, means for raising and lowering the gun, the-automatic compoundsights having ordinary telescope and mirror sights, all moving togetherin adj ustment as to wind, speed, and distance of the enemy, and gearingbetween the elevatinggear and the sights, whereby the sights aremovedcorrespondingly with the gun.

5. The combination of the gun,its supports, elevating-gear for raisingand lowering the gun, a sight-bar having front and rear sights, andconnections between the sight-bar and the elevating-gear, whereby therear sight is moved correspondingly with the movement of the gun. v

A. NOBLE. (J. 1i. MURRAY. Witnesses:

W. J. OGLE,

WM. RAMAGE.

